DPAA Identifies USS California Sailor Killed at Pearl Harbor After 84 Years
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency has identified the remains of U.S. Navy Seaman 1st Class Clyde C. McMeans, a 26‑year‑old crewman of the battleship USS California who was killed during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. DPAA says McMeans was officially accounted for on November 25, 2025, after DNA and forensic analysis of remains originally recovered from the ship and buried in Hawaii’s Halawa and Nu'uanu Cemeteries. According to Pacific Historic Parks, McMeans died when a motorboat he was using to ferry sailors to shore was hit by a bomb, one of 103 USS California crew members who perished as the ship burned and slowly sank. His family in South Texas was notified this week and plans a May 1 funeral with full military honors at the Coastal Bend State Veterans Cemetery in Corpus Christi. The report notes that dozens of USS California sailors have now been identified through similar efforts and that DPAA is separately preparing to exhume the remains of 88 unidentified USS Arizona casualties for new identification attempts, underscoring the U.S. military’s long‑running, resource‑intensive push to account for World War II dead decades later.
📌 Key Facts
- Clyde C. McMeans, a U.S. Navy Seaman 1st Class from South Texas, served on the USS California and was killed in the December 7, 1941 Pearl Harbor attack at age 26.
- The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency officially accounted for McMeans’ remains on November 25, 2025, using DNA and forensic analysis of remains recovered in 1941–42 and buried in Halawa and Nu'uanu Cemeteries in Hawaii.
- The U.S. Navy informed McMeans’ family this week, and he will be buried with military honors on May 1 at Coastal Bend State Veterans Cemetery in Corpus Christi, Texas.
- Dozens of previously unidentified USS California crew have now been identified, and DPAA recently announced plans to exhume the remains of 88 unidentified USS Arizona sailors and Marines killed at Pearl Harbor for new identification efforts.
📊 Relevant Data
Approximately 72,000 U.S. service members from World War II remain unaccounted for.
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency — The National WWII Museum
In June 1940, African Americans comprised only 2.3 percent of the U.S. Navy's personnel, with nearly all serving in segregated steward roles.
African Americans in General Service, 1942 — Naval History and Heritage Command
During the Pearl Harbor attack, 50 African American mess attendants were among the casualties.
Black sailor killed at Pearl Harbor identified after 80 years — The Washington Post
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency accounted for 172 missing service members in fiscal year 2024, marking a record year for identifications.
DPAA has 'record year' identifying America's missing warfighters — Stars and Stripes
📰 Source Timeline (1)
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